Aye.

It can't harm to let him have one Test to have a shot at the Aussies. If it doesn't work it can always be changed for the next one. It's certainly better IMO than chucking old and failed players like Harmison back in.

No Yorkshire bias coming in there


No Flintoff,no ashes.

Bresnan bowled well throughout the day from what I have seen, listened to and read and, providing he performs for Yorkshire between now and the Ashes, is probably first in line for the job when Flintoff's fitness lets him down.

In a way it is a shame for him that it is now an Ashes series, he might have been kept in against a lesser light as Flintoff might not have been rushed back in like he will be.

You are kidding, aren't you?

Flintoff is a pale shadow of the player he was in 2005 - he can barely get through a couple of months without breaking down again, his batting has disappeared down the sh*tter to the point he probably wouldn't bat any higher than 7 if he got back in the team.

About the only part of the England side he would enhance at the minute would be the close catching.

A fully fit Flintoff is a different beast altogether I'll grant you, but when was the last time England saw one of those?

agreed, mainly because we could play 2 spinners later on in the series if pitches wear a bit

he deserves another chance though at some point - and there is the other school of thought that he is a bit of an unknown quantity to the aussies

i think one of the key men could be broad - he seems to get better almost every game both bat and ball

Chris Lewis sent down for 13 years!

No bail?
































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Serves him right the daft git

Got tickets for the one dayer at Headingley today, weather not looking too clever though.

KP will miss the one dayers but will be back for the 20/20 and Ashes, shame I like to watch him in these games. Hope we get some play at Headingley.

No mate its been like this all week here not looking like it will improve either

In the absence of a general cricket thread, is this a good place to have a quiet s at Shoiab Akhtar missing the World T20 due to a "genital infection"?

headingley very soggy so far - need play to start by 4.30 or thats it

Abandoned and now the sun comes out

I'm not sure it actually rained much after the time play was due to start at 1045.

If you're going to spend £600k on a new drainage system, I think it might be wise to ensure that it is actually capable of draining water - in the light of increased competition for international fixtures the powers that be at Headingley may come to regret today big style.

I said the same earlier am i right in saying that there is a big test match at Headingley later this year? A complete joke

From what they were saying yesterday the drainage isn't fully installed yet, they need time for the new turf to bed in, but it is better than it was this time last year.

Also, according to an article on the BBC, this problem currently affects nearly every county ground in the country, as they've all been given £600k by the ECB to do this work. The only exception is Lords, where they've installed the "Rolls Royce" of drainage systems costing £1m.

With the best will in the world, there is only so much water a playing surface can take even with upgraded drainage before it will become saturated.

To imply that the ground isn't of Test standard simply because it was unable to cope with a deluge would mean you'd play every game of the Ashes series at Lords to be on the safe side.

While the MCC would love that - they have a deep disaffection for letting "the North" have too many games after all - it isn't a way forward.

Agreed, and the fact the drainage was improved, if not yet at it's best appeared lost on the Sky presenters yesterday, especially Botham. He kept ranting about "Why are we here if the drainage isn't fully working yet", despite the fact it was explained to him it was better than in the past, where he above anyone should know there's been the odd bit of test cricket played.

This was before it was explained that all grounds had gone through the same upgrades as Yorkshire, so would have been in the same boat.

England flying 238-2 (40)

Prior 68 (70)
Shah 55 (51)

He'll just have been sore that his pet project of Test cricket at Chester-Le-Street fell flat on its backside the week before.

Eng 328 (50)

Prior topscored with 86.

I think we'd have had a better tune up for the Ashes if we'd have played Bangladesh or Scotland rather than the Windies.

The Windies side that made England look very ordinary only four months ago, you mean?

Good to see England firing in these one-dayers without Pietersen and Flintoff, might do the former's ego some good to realise he's not indispensible.

We knew before the test series the Windies didn't want to be here so it's not suprising they're not putting the effort in.